Why this key state will be 'ground zero for a faith war': columnist

29 September 2024

Guilt-stricken evangelical confesses his rhetoric contributed to Capitol assault

Donald Trump has long attracted the evangelical Christian vote as the Republican nominee in 2020, and as the Republican nominee now.

Ahead of the presidential election, and of North Carolina's major gubernatorial election — in which the far-right, openly bigoted GOP candidate is backed by Donald Trump — Reverend Jay Augustine of Durham tells Washington Post columnist EJ Dionne Jr. that the critical swing state "is going to be ground zero for a faith war."

"The senior pastor of Durham's St. Joseph AME Church insists that "there is an ongoing struggle for the soul of American Christianity between brands of faith that embrace democratic inclusion and extreme forms — particularly white Christian nationalism — that promote exclusion." Dionne emphasizes, "It’s an argument that North Carolina might be called upon to settle for the nation."

Dionne notes that North Carolina "hosts a complex religious history: It’s home to a large evangelical right, but was also the site of Bishop William J. Barber II’s 'Moral Mondays' movement, a religiously inspired but deeply ecumenical focal point for social activism around civil rights, voting rights and economic equality."

Truth Tabernacle Ministries ' Senior Pastor Bishop Haywood Parker told Dionne, “There are White evangelicals who will utilize the gospel and twist it in a way that works to their advantage and gives them a way to support Trump. But there are lots of us who don’t feel that way. When I’m told that if I support Kamala Harris that somehow, I’m anti-church, anti-Biblical, that really bothers me."

The Post columnist writes:

Religion has created a coalition management challenge for Democrats whose ranks include large majorities of Jewish and Muslim voters and an overwhelming share of voters — particularly among the young — who left organized religion altogether.

But political scientist David Campbell, co-author of 'Secular Surge: A New Fault Line in American Politics,' argues that the party still has ample room for appeals to religious voters.

"We don’t see any evidence that [secular voters] are hostile to Democrats who use religious language," Campbell told Dionne. "It’s a myth that because they have a secular world view, they are hostile to religion. What they don’t like is the establishment of religion by government, government stepping over the line between church and state."

Pew Research Center's Gregory Smith told the columnist, "While most White Christian groups have trended in a Republican direction in recent years, significant minorities identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party, including 4 in 10 white nonevangelical Protestants and 37 percent of White Catholics."

Dionne notes, "The battle for Catholics will be important in the northern swing states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, especially now that Joe Biden, only the second Catholic president in American history, is no longer on the ballot."

Dionne's full column is available at this link (subscription required).

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